Plant Protein for Vegans (a Long List)

When I began eating a plant-based vegan diet, I thought I needed to worry about eating enough protein. My doctor thought so, too.

In fact, my doctor tested my blood to make sure I was eating enough protein. When he saw the test results (which were great), he was visibly surprised.

Especially since I avoid soy.

Many of us worry about protein because many of us have been told that protein only comes from a few foods. Or that the only way to eat enough protein is to eat the fluids or flesh of others.

We have not been taught the protein content of all our food that grows from the ground. Plants.

We have not been taught that many of our largest land creatures only consume another’s fluids while nursing. After nursing, they don’t eat the flesh of others, just plants for the rest of their lives.

Yet, they get enough protein. They are strong. Many are huge. They also don’t require soy.

We have bison, cow, donkey, elephants, elk, giraffe, gorillas, hippopotamus, horses, moose, rhinoceros, sheep, water buffalo, yak, zebra, and more herbivores.

But does any of that knowledge apply to humans?

While learning about all the herbivores listed above, my nutrition instructors also taught us about the origins of the protein myth.

My professors taught me that I’m eating enough protein if I’m eating my required daily calories from whole plant foods (food that grows from the ground, with minimal processing).

I didn’t believe any of this at first. So I eventually delved into our government’s USDA nutrition database, as well as more research, to verify what I had been taught…

Below, I’ve listed the whole plant foods I consume most often and their approximate protein content, all of which I found on the USDA’s website.

(Of course, I could have made mistakes writing down this data. Everyone should always do their own research to verify accuracy.)

How is it that, throughout my entire life, our US authoritative bodies never shared any of this data when they told me which type of protein I should eat?

After all, they should be shouting this from the rooftops, as our government sets our protein guidelines. They should have told me all the facts about protein.

The USDA data showed me that half my daily protein is consumed at breakfast alone and all my daily protein needs are often met by lunch—simply by eating whole plant-based vegan food.

No wonder the human race has had difficulty letting go of old protein myths. Authoritative bodies keep repeating old protein myths.

So people still regularly tell me that they think I need to eat more protein—or that they could never eat a climate-friendly diet because they need protein from animals.

It seems most humans have not yet independently verified the US government data. And who can blame them? We were taught to trust what we were taught.

Instead, we should think critically and verify anything we’re told. We should not just believe. We should verify everything first, by accessing the factual data that covers all angles.

I still find it shocking to see the protein content in plant foods, and that this data exists in our government’s database but is never given to us when we receive dietary guidelines.

Protein is, essentially, in almost everything I eat. In tiny quantities, in medium quantities, and in large quantities. I literally eat protein all day long.

Beans/Lentils

  • black beans, cooked, 1 cup, 15.2 g protein

  • black beans, turtle, cooked, 1 cup, 15.13 g protein

  • black lentils, cooked, 1 cup, 18 g protein

  • chickpea beans, cooked, 1 cup, 15 g protein

  • great northern beans, cooked, 1 cup, 14.7 g protein

  • green lentils, cooked, 1 cup, 18 g protein

  • kidney beans, cooked, 1 cup, 15 g protein

  • mung beans, cooked, 1 cup, 14.2 g protein

  • peas, raw, 1 cup, 7.86 g protein

  • peas, podded/raw, 1 cup, chopped, 2.74 g protein

  • peas, sprouted/raw, 1 cup, 10.56 g protein

  • pinto beans, cooked, 1 cup, 15.4 g protein

  • red lentils, cooked, 1 cup, 18 g protein

  • navy beans, cooked, 1 cup, 14 g protein

  • white beans, cooked, 1 cup, 17.4 g protein

  • yellow lentils, cooked, 1 cup, 18 g protein

Cruciferous

  • arugula, 1 cup, 0.6 g protein

  • broccoli, chopped, cooked, 1 cup, 3.8 g protein

  • brussels sprouts, cooked, 1 cup, 4 g protein

  • cabbage, purple, chopped, raw, 1 cup, 1.3 g protein

  • cauliflower, chopped, 1 cup, 2.1 g protein

  • collard greens, chopped, cooked, 1 cup, 5 g protein

  • kale, curly, chopped, cooked, 1 cup, 2.5 g protein

  • mustard greens, chopped, cooked, 1 cup, 3.6 g protein

  • radishes, slices, raw, 1 cup, 0.8 g protein

  • watercress, chopped, 1 cup, 0.8 g protein

Dark Leafy Greens

  • lettuce, green leaf, shredded, 1 cup, 0.5 g protein

  • lettuce, iceberg, shredded, 1 cup, 0.6 g protein

  • lettuce, red leaf, shredded, 1 cup, 0.4 g protein

  • lettuce, romaine, shredded, 1 cup, 0.6 g protein

Fruit

  • apples, chopped, 1 cup, 0.3 g protein

  • avocados, pureed, 1 cup, 4.51 g protein

  • blackberries, raw, 1 cup, 2 g protein

  • blueberries, raw, 1 cup, 1.1 g protein

  • cherries, raw, with pits, 1 cup, 1.46 g protein

  • cranberries, raw, whole, 1 cup, 0.46 g protein

  • kiwi, raw, 1 cup, 1.91 g protein

  • lemon juice, from concentrate, 1 T, 0.07 g protein

  • lime juice, raw, 1 fl oz, 0.13 g protein

  • mango, raw, 1 cup, 1.35 g protein

  • oranges, raw, sections, 1 cup, 1.3 g protein

  • peaches, raw, 1 cup, 1.41 g protein

  • pineapple, raw, chunks, 1 cup, 0.9 g protein

Grains (Gluten-Free)

  • bob’s red mill gluten-free all-purpose baking flour, 2 cups, 24 g protein

  • corn, grits, cooked, 1 cup, 2.87 g protein

  • millet, 1/3 cup, 3.3 g protein

  • oat, flour, 1 cup, 16 g protein

  • oat, steel cut, cooked, 1/4 cup, 5 g protein

  • quinoa, uncooked, 1/4 cup, 6 g protein

Nuts/Seeds

  • almonds, raw, whole, 1/4 cup, 7 g protein

  • brazil (4/month), raw, 1/4 cup, 4.75 g protein

  • cashews, raw, 1/4 cup = 5.8 grams protein

  • pecan, raw, chopped, 1/4 cup, 2.5 g protein

  • walnut, raw, chopped, 1/4 cup, 5 g protein

  • chia, dry, raw, 1 T, 2 g protein

  • flax, ground, 1 T, 2 g protein

  • hemp, 3 T, 10 g protein

  • pumpkin, 1/4 cup, 9.75 g protein

  • sesame (tahini), 1 T, 3 g protein

Sweets/Sweetener

  • dates, Medjool, pitted, 1 date, 0.43 g protein

Vegetables

  • artichoke, raw, 1 medium, 4.19 g protein

  • artichoke hearts, quartered, cooked, 1 cup, 4 g protein

  • asparagus, cooked, 1 cup, 4.32 g protein

  • beets, raw, 1 cup, 2.19 g protein

  • carrots, raw, 1 cup, 1.12 g protein

  • celery, raw, chopped, 1 cup, 0.7 g protein

  • corn, sweet, raw, 1 cup, 4.74 g protein

  • cucumber, raw, 1 cup, 0.78 g protein

  • fennel, raw, 1 cup, 1.08 g protein

  • green beans, raw, 1 cup, 1.83 g protein

  • leek, raw, 1 cup, 1.35 g protein

  • mushrooms, raw, 1 cup, 2.16 g protein

  • potatoes, cooked, 1 cup, 2.92 g protein

  • potatoes, sweet, raw, 1 cup, 2.09 g protein

  • tomato paste, 2 T, 2 g protein

  • zucchini, raw, chopped, 1 cup, 1.5 g protein

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